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The Iliad of Homer

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The Iliad of Homer The Iliad of Homer Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D. THE TEACHING COMPANY ® Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Maryland Elizabeth Vandiver did her undergraduate work at Shimer College, Mt. Carroll, Illinois, where she matriculated in 1972 as a sixteen-year-old “early entrant.” After receiving her B.A. in 1975, she spent several years working as a librarian before deciding to pursue graduate work in Classics at the University of Texas at Austin. She received her M.A. in 1984 and her Ph.D. in 1990. In addition to her current position at the University of Maryland (flagship campus at College Park), Professor Vandiver has held visiting professorships at Northwestern University, the University of Georgia, The Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies (Rome, Italy), Loyola University (New Orleans) and Utah State University. In 1998 Dr. Vandiver received the American Philological Association’s Excellence in Teaching Award, the most prestigious teaching award available to American classicists. Other awards include the Northwestern University Department of Classics Excellence in Teaching award for 1998 and the University of Georgia’s Outstanding Honors Professor award in 1993 and 1994. Dr. Vandiver has published a book, Heroes in Herodotus: The Interaction of Myth and History, and several articles, as well as delivering numerous papers at national and international conferences. She is currently working on a second book, examining the influence of the classical tradition on the British poets of World War I. Dr. Vandiver is married to Franklin J. Hildy, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Theatre, at the University of Maryland. ©1999 The Teaching Company Limited Partnership i This course is dedicated to the memory of Gareth Morgan, teacher of Greek, lover of Homer. ii ©1999 The Teaching Company Limited Partnership Table of Contents The Iliad of Homer Professor Biography ........................................................................................... i Foreword ............................................................................................................ 1 Lecture One Introduction to Homeric Epic ................................... 2 Lecture Two The Homeric Question.............................................. 6 Lecture Three Glory, Honor, and the Wrath of Achilles................ 11 Lecture Four Within the Walls of Troy ........................................ 14 Lecture Five The Embassy to Achilles......................................... 17 Lecture Six The Paradox of Glory ............................................. 20 Lecture Seven The Role of the Gods .............................................. 23 Lecture Eight The Longest Day..................................................... 27 Lecture Nine The Death of Patroklos ........................................... 30 Lecture Ten Achilles Returns to Battle ....................................... 33 Lecture Eleven Achilles and Hektor ................................................ 36 Lecture Twelve Enemies’ Tears: Achilles and Priam....................... 39 Timeline ............................................................................................................ 42 Glossary ............................................................................................................ 45 Biographical Notes........................................................................................... 48 Bibliography..................................................................................................... 55 ©1999 The Teaching Company Limited Partnership iii The Iliad of Homer Scope: This set of twelve lectures introduces the student to the first of the two great epics of ancient Greece, the Iliad and the Odyssey. During the course, the student should read the Iliad in its entirety to gain the maximum benefit and enjoyment from the lectures, which provide careful, detailed examinations of the most important episodes, address various critical and interpretative issues, and give background information on the cultural assumptions contained in the Iliad. The first lecture sets the stage for our reading of the Iliad (and, subsequently, the Odyssey) by providing an introduction to the plan of the course and summarizing the mythological background assumed by the Greek epics. The second lecture addresses the question of the 400- to 500-year gap between the events described in the Iliad and the Odyssey and the time when they were written down. It describes the epics’ relationship to traditional orally transmitted poetry, and considers the implications of that oral tradition for the question of who “Homer” was. Lectures Three through Twelve address the plot, characters, and interpretations of the Iliad itself. Each of these lectures focuses on a particular scene, character, or theme as we read through the Iliad. Lecture Three introduces the cultural concepts of kleos (glory) and timê (honor) and explains their significance for understanding the wrath of Achilles. Lecture Four moves inside the walls of Troy to discuss Homer’s presentation of the Trojans as sympathetic characters, not as stereotypical enemies. In Lecture Five, we look in detail at Book IX of the Iliad, where three of Achilles’ comrades try to persuade him to return to battle; we discuss how the concepts of kleos and timê factor into his refusal to do so. The concept of kleos is given a fuller discussion in Lecture Six, which demonstrates that it is one of the key elements in the Iliad’s examination of the human condition. In Lecture Seven, we turn to examining the gods in Homer, discussing what types of beings they are and what their presence in the narrative adds to the Iliad. Lectures Eight and Nine give a detailed reading of the most important events of the day of Hektor’s glory and Patroklos’ death, the Iliad’s longest day, which lasts from Book XI through Book XVIII; Lecture Eight focuses on Hektor and Lecture Nine, on Patroklos. Achilles’ return to battle is covered in Lecture Ten, which discusses the implications of his actions, his divinely made armor, and his refusal to bury the dead Patroklos. Lecture Eleven examines Hektor and Achilles together, highlighting the contrasting elements in their characters and the inevitability of their final encounter in battle. Finally, in Lecture Twelve, we discuss the resolution of the Iliad, which is brought about by Achilles’ encounter with his dead enemy, Hektor’s aged father, King Priam. Throughout these lectures, we will visit again and again the overriding theme of what it means to be human and what the Iliad has to say about the human condition. 1 ©1999 The Teaching Company Limited Partnership Lecture One Introduction to Homeric Epic Scope: This first lecture introduces students to the overall plan of the course. The lecture falls into three main sections. The first of these discusses why the Homeric epics are still worth reading, nearly 3,000 years after their creation. In this section, we consider definitions of the term “epic,” the Iliad and Odyssey’s place in literary history, and possible reasons why they have remained popular for so long. The second section outlines and explains the course’s format and approach; lectures will include some plot synopsis, discussion of the epics’ cultural background, and examination of larger issues raised by the epics. The third section gives a brief overview of the story of the Trojan War, which is the crucial narrative background of the Homeric epics. Outline I. This introductory lecture has three main objects. A. The lecture begins by discussing what the Iliad and Odyssey are, and why they still worth reading, nearly 3,000 years after their creation. B. The second section of the lecture outlines the approach and overall shape of the course. C. The lecture concludes with a brief summary of the story of the Trojan War, the narrative background for the epics. II. What are the Iliad and the Odyssey, and why should modern readers spend time on them? A. These two poems are the earliest literary works in the European tradition, although they represent the culmination of a centuries-long tradition of orally transmitted poetry. B. They are the first fully developed epics in Western culture. 1. By “epic,” the Greeks simply meant any long poem in one particular meter, dactylic hexameter. 2. Because of Greece’s influence on later Western culture, the Iliad and the Odyssey served as models for later epic. The term “epic” thus came to mean narrative poems dealing with gods and heroes, and often associated with either war or adventure. C. The Homeric epics were primary cultural texts for classical Greek civilization. 1. They served as educational tools, as moral frameworks, provided examples of proper and improper behavior. They codify information about the value system of ancient Greek culture. ©1999 The Teaching Company Limited Partnership 2 2. They provide the fullest accounts we have of several episodes from the Trojan War myth, one of the most important and pervasive myths of Greek, Roman, and later Western civilization. D. Why should modern readers spend time on these ancient works? There are two obvious answers. First, these epics have survived because they have continued to speak to readers throughout the ages. In addition, they have exercised an enormous influence on later literature. 1. The epics are much more than merely narratives about war (the Iliad) or adventure and homecoming (the Odyssey). They both look deep into the heart of what it means
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